Cougars, Schuylkill athletes have sights set on Shippensburg

Donald Pollitt was the last Hazleton Area boys track and field athlete to reach the medal stand at states, when he picked up the second of his back-to-back gold medals in the Class 3A 110-meter high hurdles, and also took a fourth in the 300 intermediates. That was 2010.

Could the Cougars have one, two or even more athletes headed to Shippensburg on a medal hunt this spring?

While the answer won't come until late May, the pieces are certainly in place for that to happen.

Two of Hazleton Area's leading candidates to reach the state meet would have to be seniors Hamlet Ventura and Andrew Myers.

Ventura has been a dominating force in the 100-meter dash and both hurdles events thus far in 2014. He clocked a 10.9 in winning the 100 in the season-opener at Pottsville, and added an 11.2 without being pushed in a home meet runaway against Tunkhannock.

The winning time at states a year ago was 10.74.

"I didn't feel that good and I didn't even get my best time today," Ventura said last week following the Tunkhannock meet. "I was hoping to break the (100-meter) school record which is 10.6."

Aiming at the school record shows Ventura's ambition to succeed this season and advance to the state meet for the first time. He missed a trip to states last year by a mere four-hundredths of a second in the 100. His time at the district meet (11.14) was good for fourth place. He also placed fourth in the 200 (22.61) at districts last spring.

Showing his versatility, Ventura also owns a pair of firts in the two hurdle events this season, recording a 16-second time in the 110 highs and a 43.2 in the 300 intermediates so far in 2014.

"Hamlet's just one of those guys," head coach Lou Gunderman said. "I can put him in probably anything from the 100 up to the 800, and he could probably do the long jump and the high jump. He's just a great athlete and we're blessed to have him."

Myers already set a school record this spring, completing the 1600 meters in 4:31 last week against Tunkhannock to break Josh Smolinsky's 1999 record of 4:31.4. A time of 4:24.88 was good enough for a medal at last year's state meet.

And Myers is equally strong in the 800-meter run. He has already clocked a 2:01.7 in the cold at Pottsville this spring, and his 2:01.20 earned him a third-place medal at last year's district meet. A time of 2:00.16 was good for a medal last year at Shippensburg.

Myers reached the state championships in cross country last fall, and would make it a senior sweep by getting to states this spring.

"Andy's times (at Pottsville) were exceptional for the conditions," Gunderman said. "He's real strong, and you can see the results from the time he puts into training the past couple of years."

Down the line in Schuylkill County, there are several returning state qualifiers looking to make it back to Shippensburg in May.

Mahanoy Area senior Tyler Cavenas is a two-time state qualifier, once in the discus (2013) and twice in the shot put (2012, 2013). The Lehigh University football recruit is the defending District 11 Class AA champion in the discus and the district runner-up in the shot.

Tamaqua senior Tyler Hope also returns this spring. The two-time District 11 javelin champion won the Class AA title as a sophomore and the Class AAA championship as a junior. He went on to take the silver medal at states (Class AA) in 2012. A back injury in the preseason has kept Hope from throwing the javelin thus far in 2014.

Five additional area athletes have state meet experience, and one is the lone returning boys state medal winner in the area.

Marian senior Nico Agosti placed eighth in the Class AA 400-meter run at Shippensburg last spring. He also was a state qualifier in the 200 meters and part of Marian's state-qualifying 1600-meter relay team. Chris Bruno, a junior at Marian, reached states in the 100-meter dash a year ago, and was also part of the Colts' 1600-meter relay squad along with senior Michael Grega.

North Schuylkill's Will Halko and Devin Maschak are also back after reaching states as part of the Spartans' 3200-meter relay.

Defending champion Marian and Mahanoy Area will be battling it out for the Schuylkill League Division II team title, while Hazleton Area should be in the thick of the WVC Division I race.

Outlook: The Cougars return a lot of talented performers, led by potential state qualifiers Hamlet Ventura in the sprints and hurdles, and Andrew Myers in the middle distance events. They are strongest in the sprints and hurdles, but are deep in the field events and jumps, and could make a strong showing in both the WVC Division I race and at the district meet.

Outlook: Comets are looking to improve upon last year's record, although the weather has prevented them from having any quality practices leading up to the season. A number of individual standouts, including Nick McGuire, Jacob Walsh, Danny Ritz, John Filipcyk, Chris Lukashewski, Shane Ross, Joe Evanick, Jason Klusewitz and Dylan Perrone, could make some big noise at the district meet in May.

Outlook: PV has experience, with a host of athletes returning from a trip to districts. Leading the way is a core of seniors with experience in the distance and relay events. Looking to build more experience in the sprints and throws in hopes of better competing at leagues and districts.

Outlook: The Colts don't have huge numbers but plenty of talent returning, especially in the track events. Somewhat thin on experience in the throws. Still, the Colts are the team to beat in the division again.

Outlook: The Blue Devils don't have the numbers to be competitive in dual meets. The goal is to pick up a few event wins and improve individually.

Staff Writer Mike Carnahan contributed to this story and the Schuylkill League boys track and field capsules.

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